Navigating modern touchscreen smartphones typically demands continuous physical hand interaction. For users with limited mobility, motor impairments, or temporary physical injuries—or anyone requiring completely hands-free operation—physical touch isn’t always possible. In iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, Apple introduced native, on-device Eye Tracking. Utilizing the front-facing TrueDepth camera and Apple Neural Engine machine learning, you can calibrate your gaze to control an on-screen cursor, activate buttons with Dwell Control, open apps, and navigate your entire phone using only your eyes without any external hardware.
Supported Devices and System Requirements
Eye Tracking requires devices equipped with TrueDepth camera arrays and A12 Bionic or newer neural processors:
- iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 models running iOS 18 or later.
- iPad Pro (11-inch and 12.9-inch 3rd gen or later), iPad Air (3rd gen or later), and standard iPad (8th gen or later) running iPadOS 18.
- No physical contact, external chin mounts, or specialized USB sensors are required; all gaze calculations happen locally via the front camera system.
Step 1: Positioning Your iPhone for Accurate Calibration
Proper physical positioning is critical before initiating software calibration:
- Place your iPhone on a stable, flat surface (such as a desk stand or bed mount) roughly 30 to 50 centimetres (12 to 20 inches) directly in front of your face.
- Ensure the room has balanced ambient lighting. Avoid intense backlight sources (such as direct sunlight from a window behind your head) that could wash out camera sensors.
- Keep your head still and look directly toward the screen.
Step 2: Enabling and Calibrating Eye Tracking
The initial setup involves a brief, 10-second calibration routine:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
- Under the Physical and Motor category, select Eye Tracking.
- Toggle the Eye Tracking switch to On.
- A calibration overlay will immediately cover the display. Follow the pulsing dot across the screen with your eyes as it jumps through 10 calibration target points.
- Once the dot completes its sequence, Eye Tracking activates, and a smooth, circular pointer cursor appears on the screen, mirroring your focal point.
How to Click and Select Items with Dwell Control
Because your eyes serve as the pointing device, selections and button presses are executed via Dwell Control:
- Move your eyes toward any interactive button, app icon, or link on your screen.
- Hold your gaze steady on that target.
- A circular progress indicator (dwell timer) will animate around the cursor.
- Once the timer completes (default is 1.5 seconds), the system triggers a standard tap gesture on that UI element, launching the app or selecting the menu.
Customising Dwell Timing and Pointer Smoothing
Everyone’s gaze stability and visual comfort differ. You can customize the tracking mechanics in the Eye Tracking settings menu:
- Dwell Duration: Shorten the timer to 0.75 seconds for faster navigation, or lengthen it to 2.0 seconds to prevent accidental selections when casually reading text.
- Smoothing: Increases software filtering to minimize micro-saccadic eye jitter, ensuring the cursor glides smoothly across dense menus.
- Snap to Item: Magnetically snaps the cursor to nearby buttons, making small text links and compact navigation controls much easier to hit.
Accessing the App Switcher, Home Screen, and Control Centre
To navigate system-level gestures without swiping from the display bottom or corners, Eye Tracking integrates with AssistiveTouch:
- Navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch and turn it On.
- A floating virtual menu button will dock on your display.
- Dwell on the AssistiveTouch menu icon with your eyes to expand quick shortcuts for Home, App Switcher, Notification Centre, and Control Centre.
Eye Tracking in iOS 18 establishes a breakthrough accessibility milestone, opening complete, autonomous iPhone control to millions of users worldwide through pure visual gaze.